It's Time to Take a Chance
by NarutoJournal
Summary: Sasuke is certain that these moments are his last, and he spends them bleeding out in the dirt. He watches a female approach him as he succumbs to the darkness. When he awakens he finds a girl tending to him, and grows to almost like her. A SasuHina fic! If you hate the pairing then get out. Probably a one-shot? T for now, M later if I write more. Sasuke may be a bit OOC sorry!


Sasuke Uchiha walked through the boundaries of Konoha sure he was going to die. His steps grew harder to complete as his legs shook and he had to work arduously just to continue going. He wanted to see Naruto one last time before he was gone forever. Why, he didn't know. It's not like he favored the boy. Maybe he wanted to see the look on the blonde's face as he passed away in front of him. He had a sick mind that way. The rain felt heavy as it pelted his wounds, rinsing them as fresh crimson rose to the surface. He finally collapsed, face first in the mud. It took all of the vigor he had left to turn his head so he didn't suffocate. Not that it really mattered. He would die in a matter of hours if not minutes anyway. Through the thick rain he saw feet. They were feminine, the toenails painted a metallic purple. Their sandals were black. The legs stepped closer to him as his eyes drifted shut. He didn't care who it was. He didn't care what they did to him. He was as good as dead, anyway.

He heard the soft crackle of a fire as he regained consciousness. He wondered how he was aware of himself. Was he in hell?

He felt his body stir, unable to control his movements. His limbs moved for him.

"S-Sasuke-sama, you need to remain still." He heard a soft voice say his name and felt cool hands on his chest, holding him down. His eyes opened a crack and he met wide pale orbs with his own. He recognized the unique color as one of the Byakugan.

He tried to speak but his throat was infinitely desiccated. She noticed his efforts and put her leg behind his head, lifting him up so that his neck was resting on her strong thigh. She held a canteen to his lips, tilting it slowly upward. He coughed uncontrollably as he felt the fluid flow down his gorge. The Hyuga hurriedly pulled the drink away, setting one hand on his back and the other on his abdomen. Sasuke realized that she was trying to keep him still. His throat wasn't so dry although it stung, so he attempted to speak once more.

"Who are you?" He got out. It sounded condescending but he didn't mean it to. Not really.

"I-I'm Hyuga Hinata…"

He almost choked. "What?!" The looked nothing like she used to, aside from her hair and eye color. Her hair was now down to her waist, her lashes were thick and dark, her face had thinned out and not to mention her curves. There was no way. She used to look like a boy. He actually had thought she was a lesbian. She wasn't in his group of fan girls, after all. He took note of how douche-y that sounded.

Hinata blushed, looking at the floor of the cave. "I…I don't know what you mean."

He realized that he may have come off as offensive. Heck; if this girl knew what he was thinking she'd have every right to be offended.

"Never mind." He grimaced slightly. "Why am I here?" It hurt to talk, but he had to know.

"I f-found you in the woods. You had fallen, and were in bad shape." He watched as she bit her lip.

"Why did you help me? I'm an enemy of Konoha. You should have killed me, or left me to die at the very least." Sasuke's words were cold and he knew it. But he wasn't going to thank this strange girl for something she did unwisely.

"I think that Lady Hokage would prefer to interrogate you. You're more useful alive than dead." He sensed a bit of hostility in the way she said it.

"What?!" The Uchiha sat fully upright, prepared to flee, but he began to cough from the motion. Blood dripped down his chin and the copper flavor dominated his tongue.

"Sasuke-sama!" The kunoichi kneeled back down next to him, holding him again. She took her sleeve and wiped the blood from his mouth, putting the canister to his lips again. He drank unappreciatively.

He glared at her, and a small piece of him actually felt bad about it. She had saved his life, and was only doing what she thought best for her village.

"I…" She blushed lightly, looking away from him. "I'm not g-going to turn you in…" She mumbled. Though almost inaudible, he still picked up what she said.

"And why not?" He really did sound like a spoiled brat by the way he said it.

"Because no matter how many terrible things you've done, you don't deserve to be tortured to death."

His eyes widened in shock, the first emotion he showed on his face. "You…_care _what happens to me?" He speedily hid it, giving a offhand frown instead.

"I wouldn't have used most of my chalkra healing you if I didn't." She gave him a friendly smile despite what an ass hole he was being.

So she was almost out of chalkra, and told him. What a mediocre mistake. He could easily kill her.

"Of course my chalkra regenerates. It's up to par now." She said it kindly but he got the warning.

He developed the sudden urge to throw up and threw himself forward, coughing non-stop. He couldn't breathe. He began to panic as more blood came pouring from his mouth and nose. He felt her arms wrap around him, holding him against her. He still trembled. He felt as if he were dying.

"Shh…" She whispered, rubbing his back. His coughing subsided and his muscles relaxed. He looked to her concerned face.

"Why?" He asked.

"Why what?" She tilted her head, unzipping her sweater. He stared at the mesh top she had underneath. Well not the top in particular, but…

"Why do you care?" His eyes flicked back up to hers as she began to wipe his face again, staining the hell out of her jacket.

"I don't know." She said honestly, her fingers now in the side of his hair. "I just do."

Her answer wasn't good enough. He didn't understand. No one cared about him, because he didn't care about anyone. "That makes no sense. You have to know why you care for someone. When I cared for people I knew why." He narrowed his eyes.

"I believe in you, I guess." Her voice was timid now.

His eyes widened again. "Why? I've done nothing but hurt anyone I come by. How can you possibly believe in someone like that?"

"You are not truly malignant if you can still acknowledge the fact that what you've done is immoral."

He was surprised by her response. "Are you saying that I'm _not_ corrupt?"

"You are a criminal because you have done wrong. But you are aware of the fact that you've hurt people, and you have a guilty conscious. Deep down you are filled with regret. And _that_ is why I won't let you die."

The power of her words rang through even the shallowest parts of his mind. How did this foolish girl know more about him than even he himself would care to admit..? Maybe she wasn't as stupid as he thought she was. "You couldn't possibly know that."

"Couldn't I?" She raised a brow. "Am I not correct in my assumption?"

He gave her a cold glare. "No, actually…You're dead wrong. I don't regret anything I've done. I relish hurting people. I enjoy the desperate look on their face as they plea for their lives. I get a rush from the fear in their eyes. I like to cause pain and I like to feel pain. I don't care about anyone. Human life means nothing to me. I will kill anyone without a second thought." The darkest portion of his brain spoke for him. "Even _you_."

She smiled. "Do you truly believe that? Or is that what you tell yourself to expel the remorse?"

He growled. He hated her, he decided. No one knew him better than he knew himself, right? She was calling him a liar. He knew how he felt. "Shut up." He said.

"Does that mean I'm correct?" She asked.

He swore she was egging him on just to get amusement out of it. "I said shut up!" He yelled, coughing a little afterward.

"It's alright, I understand." She rubbed his back again. The contact of her hand on his bare back sent shivers across his skin.

No, she didn't understand. She thought she knew everything. She couldn't understand him, no one could. "You think you know me? You don't at all. If I wasn't injured I would kill you right now." He sneered.

She smiled sadly. "I suppose we'll find out."

She had astonished him once again, but he quickly his it with another cruel scowl. "You're willing to risk everything on the chance that I may have a heart?"

"Not everything. Just my life."

"Why are you like this?! Why do you have so much hope?! Do you have nothing precious to you?! Do you not know what it's like?!" He yelled again.

She closed her eyes and took a breath, speaking when she opened them once again. "Everything you're speaking of has already been taken away from me."

He let out a staggered noise from deep in his throat.

"The person I loved, more than anything, no longer wants to see me. The only family who cared for me is dead. I have no one."

Another breath was exhaled quickly. "What?"

"That person…That person was Naruto-kun." She smiled but her eyes spilled over. She turned her head away from Sasuke.

He let his guard down, setting a hand on her upper arm. "Why doesn't he want to see you?" He couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. He knew what it was like to be alone. He was also aware of what a dobe Naruto was.

"When Pain destroyed the village and Naruto-kun fought him, Naruto-kun was nearly killed. So I stepped in. I knew I would die and so I told him I loved him. Pain almost slaughtered me, but not quite. He has avoided me ever since and he's now with Sakura-chan…" She clenched her fist, holding it against her chest.

"Naruto's stupid." He scoffed.

She met his eyes. "Why do you say that?" The girl bit her lip hard.

"Who would ditch you for Sakura? She's annoying." He rolled his eyes. "Naruto just wants her because everybody else does. He'll realize his mistake eventually." He said it rudely although the meaning was still there.

Hinata blushed, kneeling by Sasuke. "She's beautiful…" Her voice was distressed as she used her sweater to wipe the extra sweat off of his skin. He was burning up.

"No, she's ugly. Inside and out."

Hinata gave him an incredulous look. "I'm pretty sure that everyone in the leaf village would disagree with you on that."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? You think she'd kind? She beats Naruto constantly for absolutely no reason. She only liked me for the same reasons every other girl did. Now that I'm gone and Naruto is the most popular boy, who does she like..? Think about it."

Hinata furrowed her brow. "I think…" She blushed a little. "I t-think you're right…"

Sasuke frowned when he realized that he was starting to like the girl. He loved when people told him he was right. He was feeling a lot better now than he had when he first woke up.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. He looked up at her smiling face.

"How can you still smile after all that has happened to you?" He asked bluntly.

"It's easy. You have to find even the smallest things that make you happy, instead of constantly thinking of the negatives."

He stared at the pale girl. Why did she make so much sense? He felt somewhat happier since talking to her.

"Or," she said, taking his cheeks in her hands. She used her thumbs to lift his lips in an upward curve. "You can just force it. Smiling lifts your mood immediately."

He usually got extremely irritated with people when they touched him, especially if it was his hair or face. But he didn't mind right now. He followed the actions of her thumbs, compelling himself to smile. Somehow he did feel more pleasant. She let go, and he remained smiling. He was fairly sure he looked awkward since he hadn't smiled in a long time, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Now how about something to eat? You've been passed out for three days so I'm assuming you must be starving."

"What?! Three days?" He asked.

"Hai. I come back here to spend the night. I return as often as possible during the day but it's a bit more difficult.

"You sleep here?" He asked, not seeing any blankets aside from his own.

"W-well I keep watch. I wouldn't want someone to find you." She fiddled with her fingers.

Now that he looked for it; she did appear exhausted. She had dark lines under her eyes and her lids were half closed. "Come here." He ordered.

The girl tilted her head, confused, but leaned in. He pulled her onto her butt, holding her against the left side of his torso.

"Go to sleep." He demanded. She couldn't see the empathetic look he had on his face. His arms wrapped around her and the heiress blushed. What was he doing? He forced her head onto his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. He smelled good, probably from when she had cleaned him off.

"You need to eat." She whispered. Despite what he had said earlier, she knew that he wasn't going to hurt her. Not that she would really care at this point.

"That can wait until tomorrow. You look fatigued you need sleep. It's my turn for watch."

She shook her head, sitting up. "I already have dinner made I'm not letting you go to bed hungry."

He sighed at how stubborn this girl was. She reached over to the backpack she had brought and took out stuffed tomatoes she had made, along with some rice balls.

"Here they're still warm." She handed them to Sasuke.

He took them with an almost thankful look, taking a bite immediately. "How did you know I liked tomatoes?" He asked. "These are delicious."

"Just because I wasn't infatuated with you doesn't mean I didn't pay attention." She smiled. "And arigato gozaimasu." Hinata bowed her head, thanking him.

He stopped eating and gave her a truly grateful smile. "Thank you." He finished his meal, happy to finally have something in his stomach.

"Have the rest of the tea." She said, handing it to him.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I have water stored as well. The tea should aid you in the healing process."

He nodded once, gulping the rest down despite the burning reaction in his throat. The stuff was like drinking alcohol.

He looked down at himself for the first time, realizing that he didn't feel dirty. "Hinata?"

She blushed, noticing why he was looking at himself. "Hai?"

"Did you…_wash_ me?" He asked, his voice even until he said the verb.

Her whole face turned bright red. "I…" She prodded her index fingers together nervously. "Y-you fell into mud, and I didn't w-want to leave you dirty so I washed y-you off. I didn't look or anything it was dark and I j-just did it quickly…"

He blushed now, too. "Okay… Uh, thanks."

She met his eyes now. "For what?"

"Everything. Sorry I was being an ass I just don't…I don't like opening up to anyone, okay? Ever since my brother. I can't trust people anymore."

"It's alright I understand." She nodded, glad they were making progress.

"There's nothing to understand; I'm just a dick." He gave her a sideways grin. "But I can tell that you're trustworthy."

"No, no. I see why you are this way." She smiled sincerely. "Arigatou gozaimasu, you are as well." She bowed her head gratefully.

"Why does everybody like Sakura when you're right in front of them?" He asked, genuinely wondering what the hell was wrong with half of the boys in the Leaf Village.

"I…" A dark pink stung her cheeks at his kind words. "I'm n-nothing special…" She averted her gaze, willing to look anywhere but at him.

"Yeah I don't believe that for a second." He rolled his eyes.

She gave a small smile. "Well I might be alright at cooking but I'm not too great at anything else…"

He stared at her, shaking his head. "You don't see yourself right."

Her eyebrows pushed up in the middle at his words. "I don't know what you m-mean…"

"Just forget it." He wasn't one to compliment, and when he did, he didn't go into detail about it.

"Oh...Okay." She nodded just once. She crossed her arms over her chest. It was getting cold. They were fairly high up in the mountains, and it was after nightfall.

Sasuke noticed her discomfort and sighed, pulling her against him again. "Sleep." He commanded. She gave a small smile at how he was loving but tried to act nonchalant about it. She knew that he wasn't an ass like he said he was. She breathed in the smell of his skin and drifted off to sleep quickly. Being in his arms felt nice and safe.

"You don't see yourself the way I can…" He whispered, knowing that she wouldn't hear him. She was already lost in her dreams.

Soooo it's now 3:30 A.M. I kinda wrote this on a whim. I hope you enjoy this, I think it might be a one shot? Haha. Possibly other chapters but knowing me and how I procrastinate I doubt it. If you enjoyed this story, please review! Heck; even if you didn't. I'd like to know. But if the reason you didn't favor this story was because of the pairing then save it. You didn't have to click and/or read. It's stated clearly that it's SasuHina, so no flaming please. Reviews are lovee(;


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